Last week I wrote about the rising costs of living in Israel, how difficult it is for certain (including working) sectors to make ends meet, with the government removing all the subsidies it can, and with all the prices on our monopolistic services rising. But most importantly I wrote how you can help.

It turns out that besides the rising cost of electricity, gas, and bread, the price on yet another basic commodity will be going up.

Water.

That's right. The price for water, the most basic of necessities will be raised by 10%.

Now, I know I usually say the government is heartless and cruel.

They don’t care about how these rising costs of living affect those living on fixed incomes.

But that’s not true.

In response, the government decided this week to raise the salaries of various sectors to account for the increase in their cost of living due to the removal of bread subsidies, the rising cost of electricity, gas, and water.

The following is a partial list of salary hikes go into effect this week:

There is an advertisement running on my site for an organization called “Warm the Needy”.

They are providing a vital service to the Israeli community in the wake of what is turning into (in my opinion) one of the most financially desperate and destructive situations that the State of Israel has seen in a long time.

I don’t have links and exact statistics to cite right at this moment but it is estimated that some 20% of the population falls into the category of “poor”.

More significant was an article I read last week that said that a significant percent of these poor people are employed full-time, not sitting at home doing nothing.

I am personally a believer Milton Friedman’s capitalist philosophy. But I also believe that if we as individuals don’t help the sectors weaker than us in our own society that we weaken and damage our society as a whole.

And if people who are working full time jobs can no longer make ends meet (and I mean on the most basic, minimalist level) then Israeli society is in big trouble.

This week the government ended the subsidies and price controls on the most basic loaf of bread. Subsequently, the price of that bread went up 50% this week. Batya points this out in her post here.

The government claims it will subsidize Bituach Leumi payments with a one-time subsidy for those already qualified. What this actually means is that most people who actually need the subsidy will not be getting it, and will simply be paying more.

Since Rosh Hashanah the price of electricity was raised twice to over a 15% increase.

The price of gas (car and home heating) has been rising steadily.

In short, the cost of living in Israel has been increasing, while the salaries of the weakest sector (and perhaps everyone’s salary) have not been keeping up with all these hikes.

And while Milton Friedman would argue that it isn’t the government’s job to feed the poor, he would also agree that all the taxes, unbelievable tax laws, restrictions on competition, and bureaucracy that exists in Israel plays the most significant role in creating this situation.

The government clearly has no intention of reforming the tax and legal codes that has created and maintains this radical disparity and dangerous situation, so I think it still has the obligation to help those it is hurting.

But of course it won’t.

This leaves it to private individuals to take the initiative and help those struggling to make ends meet.

Friedman would say we are "Free to Choose" who to help and it isn't the job of the government, and he is right. But our Torah does obligate us to help.

As I began this post, “Warm the Needy” is one such organization. They help directly subsidize the rising cost of heating for poor families. They help take some of the pressure off, by supplying these families with subsidized heaters and helping pay for part of the rising electric costs.

I’ve met far too many people lately that work full time (from single parents, to families where both spouses work), yet they are having trouble paying for the basics.

If you have Ma’aser money you want to give, to where 100% of your charity will100% go to the people that really need it, then “Warm the Needy” is certainly a place I would personally recommend and endorse.

Had an advertisement come out before the Annapolis Peace Conference that stated "Whack Ehud Olmert, Ehud Barak and Tzippi Livni to wake them up...not to split Jerusalem" the reaction would have been quick and unanimous.

The ad would probably be run for a few minutes to get the attention of the police, so they could file charges against the advertiser, the ad would be removed quickly, the right wing would be lambasted with claims of incitement to violence and murder, Yitzchak Rabin's name would be invoked, and experts would bemoan the depths of education in the country.

And yet, in today's YNET on-line Hebrew edition, the following flash animation appears, with Ehud Olmert, Education Minister Yuli Tamir and Finance Minister Roni Bar-On sleeping in bed together -- and a hammer is available for you to whack them on their heads (complete with causing cartoon stylized black eyes) to "wake them up"...

The ad is part of the campaign to end the Staff strike at Israeli Universities with a warning, "the semester is in danger" (of not happening, because of the strike).

I see nothing wrong with the ad and I find it funny.

Unfortunately, if you modify it just a tiny bit to suit an alternative (right wing) cause, it's automatically a criminal offense with dire repercussions.

So, if you find the ad on YNET -- enjoy it. At least we can whack Olmert legally under the guise of "Education."

According to an article in Arutz-7, former Israeli soldiers who served in Israeli Special Forces units are being hired left and right by Hollywoods A-listers to be their personal bodyguards.

'I've used members of the Israel Special Forces - its equivalent of the Navy Seals - when I've had a specific, high-level threat,' says Shaw, whose clients include Naomi Campbell, Michael Bolton and 50 Cent. They operate at such a heightened sense of awareness. Because of the constant conflicts there, they're always on alert; they never switch off.'

Almost 2 years ago I wrote a post (3a) that discussed as an incidental, the fact that the Palestinians steal some 30,000 Israeli cars a year.

I wondered at the time how many cars in the PA were actually stolen. As of 2 years ago 300,000 cars were stolen and brought into the PA, but only 122,000 cars were registered in PA DMV.

Which meant that some 50% of the stolen cars in the PA weren't registered (while the other 50% of stolen cars were).

There is an amusing article in YNET (of all places) that actually discusses the actual registration process where stolen cars become "legal" cars in the PA and specifically cars belonging to Palestinians government officials.

To prove his point the authors mentioned the case of Rav Ovadiah Yosef - his car was recently stolen.

Someone in our government called someone is their government and the car was returned in a few hours.

"How did they know where to find it? That’s very simple. The stolen vehicles are registered over there. The thieves pay fees. Everything is orderly."

While the "moderate" Fatah/PA Arabs are busy denying Israel as the Jewish State, threatening to scuttle "peace talks" if we dare to defend ourselves in Gaza, to the point of openly (huh?) fighting alongside Hamas, we have Israel trying to kick the Jews out of legally owned property in Hevron.

As the facts slowly trickles out things get more and more interesting.

The JP is reporting on how the former Arab owner completely denied he sold the property, but as he was presented documentation, he changed his mind and said he planned to sell it, but then changed his mind. After it was proven he actually received the money, he then said he gave the money back, and so on. He's changed his story 3 times so far.

All the documentation prove he sold the property, the IDF, the State and the Courts know the Jews own the property legally - but who will they side with?

On the positive side, yet another incredible (Jewish, obviously) find was found in the City of David. An ancient palace. Check it out.

In a no-suprise announcement (we've heard enough similar stories before), 3 PA Policemen (trained by the USA), where caught - having been the ones to murder Ido Zoldan last week on the road.

At the time Fatah (Abbas's PA military wing) took responsibility.

And they weren't lying. Two of the 3 Palestinian Policemen were caught by Israeli security services, and the third is in "protective custody" in the PA (to prevent him from being caught by the Israeli security services).

While he hasn’t managed to engineer the under the table deals on the scale of Ariel Sharon or Shimon Peres, he has managed to put together and apparently get away with some pretty crafty transactions. Olmert is a shrewd politician and if there is anything he knows, it is back-room deals and how to read what’s going on in front of and behind him.

Even a neophyte like Tzipi Livni caught on that something was wrong (though apparently she didn’t understand why). Olmert obviously saw what happened in Annapolis.

The Arabs demanded that the Jews enter from a different entrance.

The Saudis sat there without translators, so they couldn’t understand a word that Olmert said.

Nearly all the Arabs refused to shake his hand.

Even Condoleezza Rice made an inane, off-color remark to Tzipi Livni that showed the true thoughts of the State Department (and herself) when it comes down to it.

Whatever pressures or expediencies are driving Olmert, there is no way he could have left Annapolis with any good feeling in his stomach. He must have felt the pure hatred extended at him and at Israel. He must have seen the coalition of annihilation ganging up before his very eyes.

No matter what spin he now puts on Bush’s words (including or despite what was said to him behind the scenes), he saw and heard what was said. He saw and heard what Abbas and the Others all said and say.

The Arabs made their goal very clear. There is no peace in the future. They seek the destruction of Israel as a Jewish State.

And the threats continued today with Saudi Arabia and Egypt inviting Hamas and Fatah to parlay so they can get their joint act together. Not to mention the statement of the senior PA official that said that Fatah and Hamas will fight Israel together if Israel tries to enter Gaza en mass.

So besides political survival, what else is going on in his mind.

What did Olmert feel? Was he embarrassed? Did he feel like a Galus Jew?

I can’t believe he walked away unaffected.

Even as he went home to his wife who supports the other side in this war, he must have felt some twinge in his conscience that this was about everything but peace.

As you know, the Jews of Hevron purchased a building they called the "Peace House". As they purchased it in Hevron (for around $700,000) it has created an international (and locally left) uproar. The Jews are expanding their Occupation.

There have been many attempts to kick the Hevron Jews out of the building they purchased. The Left and the government are trying to get courts to get them out.

Only one little problem. The building was legally bought - not that that matters to the Left.

In fact, the army's Civil Administration, that looked into the matter in depth, told the government its official position - that the building was legally bought, and paid for and now belongs to the Jews of Hebron.

But along with the Supreme Court they have decided to evict the legal Jewish owners anyway, as apparently the Minister of Defense refuses to sign the document that allows the Jews to live on the property they bought.

If you’ve driven from Malcha to Gilo, you know how ridiculous and impossible the idea of dividing Jerusalem really is. You drive through the main road that divides the town of Beit Safafa in two.

I am sure I can’t even count on one hand the number of residents of Beit Safafa that want to be cut off from Jerusalem, from the Israeli government subsidies, from their jobs, and from their lives - to join the PA.

And what are they going to do? Build walls, and tunnels, and then somehow link it to Abu Tor, which will via some magical underground tunnel link to Ramallah? (Hell, they can’t even get the light rail moving).

The physical impossibility of carving this city up which has become so integrated (whether some people want to admit it or not) is far more difficult than untying a mere Gordian knot.

The Arab residents of Jerusalem have made it clear they don’t want to be residents of the PA. They don’t want to give up their freedom, their lives, their safety, and their jobs.

Sure, they continue to physically reside in their own ethnic enclaves, but that doesn’t meant their lives haven’t been integrated into one united and undivided Jerusalem.

And Olmert knows his government would collapse the second he gave away sovereignty over the Temple Mount, much less allowed PA policemen into the residential sections of the Old City.

And everybody knows this.

I believe the whole Jerusalem discussion is a feint, a ploy, a trick.

Olmert will give something major away at Annapolis, but it won’t be Jerusalem.

Instead he’ll come back, declaring himself the hero for saving Jerusalem from American pressure, while having seriously damaged us somewhere else.

And with a nod and a wink, his coalition of the power-hungry of Shas, Lieberman and the rest of his cronies will remain intact, they after all did their job protecting Jerusalem (sic).

Olmert has already frozen construction in Judea and Samaria. Personal security for the average Israeli has once again dropped.

Last week, during the survey, I was asked if I felt that security for the nation was going to get better or worse in the upcoming weeks. I said worse.

He then asked if I felt my personal level of security was going to get better or worse in the upcoming weeks. I answered that I thought it would be the same.

My logic?

I spend most of my time in the settlements (where it's safer), I’m armed. I’m trained. And how often do I have the opportunity to go to public places in Jerusalem, as of late?

Of course, today I went to the Malcha Technology Park and the Malcha Mall next door, just as they were blowing up a suspicious object.

While the news is reporting a high alert due to a suspected suicide bomber trying to reach the city, internal army radio seems to be implying that the bomber is already in Jerusalem and they are searching for him.

The helicopters overhead put some credence into that report.

I no longer felt that my level of personal security has stayed the same.

I won’t ask the rather repetitive question of why every time there is a “Peace Conference” life just gets more dangerous. We know the answer to that.

I no longer have any questions on this subject.

I just wish they’d call me again with the poll. I’d like to change a few answers.

I mentioned here that the after-effects of the upcoming Lebanon elections are going to be a big disaster for Lebanon.

Well, even I can't follow what is going on there.

Apparently, the pro-Syrian side (i.e. Hizbollah and other proxies), successfully blocked the elections for the next president (simply by not showing up to the required votes).

As of Friday, at the request of the former president Lahoud (a Syrian puppet), the army is in charge of the government and it is reported that tanks are lining the streets of Beirut. Power should have gone to the anti-Syrian government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, but Lahoud refused to make that transfer (by declaring a State of Emergency).

They are going to try to hold elections again on the 30th.

This just looks like a another step backwards for democracy in the Middle East, as the Iranian sponsored Syrian puppeteer Assad still tries for his Greater Syria at the expense of lives of everyone in the region.

Actually, I’m on a few lists, but this particular list is in question is in regard to surveys.

You see, once you acquiesce to answering a survey once in Israel, you are put on the “do-call” list and you will get calls nearly every week with a new set of questions.

Sometimes it’s obvious what they want, sometimes not. Sometimes the questions are relevant, and sometimes they are about nothing important (except to the person paying for the survey).

This week I got a call, they asked a lot of questions regarding my perception of the IDF. Do I think it’s improved? Do I think the IDF is ready for war? Do I think decisions by senior officers are politically motivated or pressured? Do I think senior officers are corrupt? Do I think senior officers are qualified to fulfill their duties?

But the question that stumped me was this:

“Do I think the IDF is and acts morally?”

Now that’s a loaded question.

Certainly, after the Expulsion I would say absolutely not. That was the most immoral act in the history of the IDF.

Yet, was that what the question was really asking?

What was the motivation behind that question.

Usually when someone says the IDF is immoral, they are a Leftist and directly referring to the IDF’s defense of this country at the roadblocks or in the field.

So here is a dilemma.

Do I answer “yes” it is, as it was used immorally for the Expulsion, or do I assume that this is not even an issue in the minds of the sponsors any more, and they are referring to the defense of Israel, and then answer “no”? (Actually it was a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being least moral and 10 being most).

If you keep arresting Hamas followers (and don’t let Hamas take over the West Bank) then Hamas will reveal what is already known, but still denied - that Israel did not kill al-Dura, and it was a PA/Fatah Pallywood production.

What's up with the British Royal Family. First we have Prince Harry, who thinks its amusing to dress up like a Nazi, and doesn't understand what the furor is all about.

Now we have an anti-Semitic email that was leaked, written by aides to Prince Charles who have made it clear it is safe to assume that there is no chance that the Prince will ever visit Israel, so as not to "help burnish its [Israel's] international image".

Long time readers remember when the Joe-Jameel Book Club used to write these amazing reviews and criticisms of Jewish books that were relevant to the topic of the day.

Unfortunately, that blog and its posts were lost in the crossover to New Blogger.

Anyway, the Joe-Jameel Book Club was asked to write a review of a book that is now being advertised on this blog.

For the sake of disclosure, I haven’t read the entire book yet, just different excerpts from it, but I believe I get the gist.

The book is called, “Sometimes you ARE what you wear!” by a Rabbi Eliyahu Safran who also works in the OU.

The catch line of the book is “an argument for Tzniut (modesty)”.

My wife tells me that in the Beis Yaakovs (plural, she was thrown out of a few of them, but not for Tznius issues) where she went to school they used to constantly give them speeches about the lengths of their skirts, covering their elbows, their hair styles and the like.

But Rabbi Safran’s book is clearly not about the length of your sleeves or the color of your shirt.

His book is about the internal aspects of Tzniut which Rabbi Safran describes as dignity, nobility, self-worth, self-respect, and self-image, and also how that translates into moral actions.

Rabbi Safran maintains that Tzniut is an internal state that is outwardly revealed by one’s choice in clothing.

Conversely, he holds that there is also an inverse and symbiotic relationship between one’s clothing and one’s sense of self. The clothing also makes the man, or as scientific studies have shown, while one may smile as a sign of internal happiness, people that smile tend to end up feeling internally happy.

To quote him, “How we dress influences more than just those who look at us, it influences how we see ourselves. If you don't think this is the truth, see how differently students behave in a classroom when they are wearing shirts and ties versus when they are in their gym clothes.”

Tznius he argues is about bringing your body and soul into alignment and it isn’t just for women.

This isn’t a book about permissible fashion statements.

This is a book about internalizing and projecting a positive self-image from a Jewish perspective.

The premise for his discussion is that Islamic Fundamentalism is the more dangerous of the two and that peace can be made with Nationalists, and most acts of terror are actually caused by Islamic Fundamentalists.

The direct implications of his statements was that one group is religious, which he clearly sees as unthinking and dangerous, while the other group is “secular”, and can therefore be reasoned with.

Yet, when I asked him about the fact that both streams create terrorists, his roundabout answer was that the terrorists themselves were bad (implying not necessarily the organizations they came from). (translation: “He is a Fatah Apologist”).

He completely ignores that members of Fatah and Hamas armies have gone back and forth depending on who pays them. He completely ignores that Arab Nationalism is also Islamic based (how many Arab Christian Nationalistic terrorist groups are you aware of in the Middle East?). He completely ignores that while Hamas and Fatah may compete for control, it was specifically Arafat and Fatah who enabled Hamas to commit acts of terror against Israel.

Which is funny if you think about it.

Arafat and the PLO essentially (an openly) strengthened and enabled Hamas to act as their proxy when it was inconvenient for them to act directly, to the point where Hamas gained enough strength to eventually take over.

Furthermore, I decided to look up basic facts.

Is Fatah more moderate? Are they capable of making peace, as he firmly believes (given the right circumstances – meaning they have the guns, money, and power).

I decided that the best proof or disproof of that would be decided by whether or not Fatah committed acts of terror when they had power and were in control.

I found a number of charts.

During the same period of time since Arafat was let into Israel, Hamas killed 482 Jews in 73 major massacres, 162 Jews were killed by Islamic Jihad in 32 major massacres, while a mere 129 Jews were killed by Fatah in 23 massacres.

In numerous cases the different groups joined together for (i.e. Fatah and Hamas, or Fatah and Islamic Jihad) to commit their acts of terror.

In addition, Fatah were involved in some 1500 other terrorist attacks not deemed as major massacres.

So what this information does indicate is that Fatah, showed less success that the other groups in committing major terror attacks, they are clearly a full partner and player in the terror infrastructure – even when they are in full power.

Yet, here is this security expert, putting his eggs is Fatah’s corner, as “moderates”.

Yet the numbers don’t indicate moderation to me, just less success on the mega scale.

Another person at the meeting asked another important question.

This expert had said, that based on the Palestinian internal divisions between Nationalist and Fundamentalist ideologies, Oslo didn’t have a chance because the Fundamentalist division was ignored - but he supported it anyway.

He was then asked, if he knew in advance that it was doomed to fail and that terrorism would definitely result, as he claims he wrote back then, then why in the world did he support Oslo.

Now forget for the moment that he thinks we can make peace with Arab Nationalists that want an Arab-only Middle East. Forget for the moment that he ignores the core connection between Islam and Arab nationalism.

His answer was (word for word), “Oseh shalom bimromav, we have to try to make peace.”

Isn’t that wonderful! A (leftwing) strategic security expert admits that he was 100% positive that the “Oslo peace process” would only lead to increased terrorism and not to peace based on his incredibly deep understanding of Arab society, yet he supported it anyway, to give it a chance…

I'm not a big Shas fan, and I don't think that one ever understands the actual motivations behinds the statements and actions of Shas politicos (is it money, is it religion, is it honor, is it money, is it influence, is it doing the right thing?), but what I find most interesting is the Left's rather consistent reaction to Shas and how they actually avoid the issues being raised, when Shas raises them.

Eli Yishai, for a few weeks now has been raising an issue, and the Left have been attacking him for it, but without actually answering what he is clearly implying.

I wonder if he said it any straighter would the reaction be different. I doubt it. It’s not an issue of subtlety; it’s one of self-induced delusion.

Ever since Olmert has said he is releasing Palestinian terrorists, Eli Yishai has repeatedly said that Jewish people who committed nationalistic murder should also be released (there’s a handful in jail). In fact, it seems that every time Olmert says his thing, Yishai says his in response.

For this, the Left keeps calling Yishai a racist, and idiot, a primitive, unenlightened, an ignoramus, and I can keep going on with the adjectives being used.

But I haven’t seen a single Leftist address the real issue that Yishai is raising.

The Left go nuts and says these Jewish killers can’t be released – it is immoral, but they have no moral problem releasing Arab terrorists, who are likely to kill even more Jews – because it is for peace, for confidence building, for whatever.

It is as if they are incapable of understanding the very clear comparison he is drawing; and worse, it seems they don’t even understand the answers they are giving.

Every time Yishai says this, it sounds like he is making fun of the left and his coalition partners, with a joke that is way above their heads.

And all the Left hearing him say it (and even reading this) will give the same explanations of “Peace and Politics” every single time, while completely misunderstanding that every time they say this, they play the fool to his joke, and everyone on the Right sees this and either laughs or feels sorry for them (or sorry for us, as we all pay for their lack of comprehension).

In Ha'Aretz reserve soldiers returning from fighting in Gaza against Hamas are reporting some unsurprising news.

Fighting Hamas is not like fighting terrorists, it's like fighting real soldiers, the reservist said. They're well armed, well equiped and well trained, said another.

Ynet reports that Hizbollah is holding serious and professional military manuevers and training.

And in fear that they will come under rule of their own, Palestinians in Jerusalem are applying for Israeli citizenship in the thousands. This makes it unclear as to why the Jerusalem neighborhoods should be handed over to the PA, when all those Arab residents will have fled to other parts of Jerusalem.

In short, every single thing the Right warned and warns about has and is coming true.

Yet the Left can't add 2 + 2, even when the news is reported in their own papers.

Thanks to Jameel for pointing this out to me. If you go to Jameel's blog he has a video of the soccer game.

"Dai l'Alimut" (End the Violence) was the slogan the Left kept using against the Right during the Oslo years as the government's policemen beat nonviolent Rightwing protesters and put them into hospitals.

"Dai l'Alimut" (End the Violence) is the code that the Left continues to sling at the Right to end any possible verbal protest against Oslo and their latest adventures into "Peace".

At this game, all the players wore on their shirts the Leftwing slogan "Dai l'Alimut".

The announcer repeated twice at the "memorial" the Leftwing slogan "Dai l'Alimut" in memory of Rabin.

So they have the announcer telling all the Beitar soccer fans that they are violent Right-wing extremists, using a phrase that the Left always throws at the Right in attempts to delegitimize and silence the opposition.

Sometimes Peace Now comes out with a report that makes me happy and isn't full of lies, distortions, and propaganda.

Their latest is on expansion within the “settlements” and they are very upset.

Among their list of growing and expanding "settlements" is the city of Ma’aleh Adumim, the town of Beitar Illit, and Jerusalem suburb Pisgat Ze’ev (that was the funniest one on their list – if you live in Jerusalem, you’d know why). I’m surprised they didn’t mention Gilo. The report said that hundred of new homes are being built.

Hell, they don’t know the half of it.

But unfortunately, from our point of view it isn’t fast enough.

There is hardly a town or village in Judea and Samaria that doesn’t have high demand for new housing for the “Settlers” to move in to.

Building isn’t happening fast enough to meet the demand, and the leftist-induced red tape we face that slows down the process is excruciating. Worst of all, none of the construction is “new” construction. All construction is based on completed permits that were granted 10-20 years ago that the Left have been holding up with their political influence and artificially inflated bureaucratic demands.

No permits for new construction projects have been approved in years.

By the way, Pisgat Ze’ev is within and part of the Jerusalem Municipality and was officially annexed by the State of Israel when Jerusalem was liberated and reunited. That Peace Now considers that neighborhood a settlement says more about Peace Now and the value of their reports than anything else.

Rabin ruled out a fully sovereign Palestinian state: "We view the permanent solution in the framework of State of Israel which will include most of the area of the Land of Israel as it was under the rule of the British Mandate, and alongside it a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We would like this to be an entity which is less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority.”

Rabin ruled out a total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and thus a return to the pre-June 1967 borders: "The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 lines.”

Rabin ruled out withdrawing form the Jordan Valley: “The security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term.”

Rabin ruled out uprooting settlement blocs, like the Gush Katif bloc in Gaza (which was subsequently uprooted by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon): “The establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif.

Rabin ruled out removing any settlement before coming to a full peace agreement with the Palestinians: “I want to remind you: we committed ourselves, that is, we came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.”

Rabin insisted on Israel retaining full security control of the borders with Egypt and Jordan, contrary to Israel’s relinquishment of the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt: “The responsibility for external security along the borders with Egypt and Jordan, as well as control over the airspace above all of the territories and Gaza Strip maritime zone, remains in our hands.”

For all their talk about Rabin and his Legacy, if Rabin were to get up out of his grave today and say these things, the Left would denounce him as a Right-wing extremist.

Yet these are the exact things he said, even though you can see from his speech that his positions are far left, even he had declared red lines, which shows how much farther left the left (including Olmert, Peres, Kadima, Labor, and Sheretz) have gone.

Maybe next November 4th they should read this speech out loud at the Beitar games.

I stopped going out to the movies in Israel a while ago. You sit there, a captured audience. It was particularly bad at the Malcha mall (which also had problems with their sound system).

You see, the Left decided that you shouldn’t be able to escape from their incessant attempts at indoctrination. So they bought commercial time before every movie (at that time for the Geneva Idiocy Accord).

You go out to the movies, thinking you will escape from reality for a little while. You sit there and then suddenly a larger-than-life terrorist is standing there on the silver screen telling you that this latest peace plan to divide Jerusalem will bring peace.

People used to practically riot in the theaters when they heard this nonsense being shoved down their throats.

So I stopped going, rather than listen to indoctrination.

This week at a Soccer game on November 4, the announcer called for a moment of silence in memory of Rabin.

After 2 weeks of nonstop Rabinfest on the TV and radio, these soccer fans went to the game to watch a game, not to be told to be silent for someone they felt hurt them and hurt the country.

These soccer fans are the people of the Machane Yehuda mall, these are the people that take buses to work, these are the people with family in Sderot.

These are the people who got most hurt after Rabin and Peres brought the terrorists to Israel and the bombings started.

So they booed.

The Left is now in an uproar. How dare they boo. The fans must be reeducated (perhaps electric shockers in the seats?). Their team must be punished for having fans like that.

“This violence (sic) is unacceptable,” the Left screamed.

They must be taught democracy. They must be taught about the Rabin legacy. They must be taught to be silent in face of the memory of what Rabin wrought. The team must be disbanded.

All sorts of ideas were put forward by serious leftists.Educational pamphlets at games on Rabin’s legacy. Pregame speeches about democracy and Rabin. The players must be told to scold the fans not to boo at Rabin. They must be taught that they must be silent at the moment of silence for Rabin.

I’m being serious. This is what is being said by leaders of the Left.

One of the Beitar fans in an interview made a rather important statement.

He said, “He remembers what it was like under Rabin with all the bombings that occurred because of his policies. The Left like to ignore all that. But they, the Beitar fans all remember the bus bombings and the bad times. Rabin wasn’t a great PM and they don’t feel like honoring him.”

Another fan, said that mentioning Rabin at a right-wing bastion like the Beitar field is a provocation.

The Left went nuts. “Only to extremist can it be a provocation”. “This is a red-flag that the Right are going to kill someone.”

You know. I wonder what would happen in Tel Aviv at the HaBima theater, if they called for a moment of silence in memory of another former MK who was assassinated by Arab terrorists (and you know who I mean) before the play went on.

Would that be considered a provocation, and what about the reaction of that crowd?

Anyway, we still live in a pseudo democracy, and that means free speech still exists, and if people don’t like hearing about Rabin anymore because they don’t like how the Left have hijacked his memory and history, and continue to bang the country over the head with him, in their attempts at indoctrination, then that is their right to yell boo.

Trivia: Speaking of Rabin, Yigal Amir named his son: Yinon Eliyah Shalom . Everyone seems to have completely missed the significance of this name. If I recall correctly, the gemorah (Sandhedrin 98:b), mentions (at least one of) these names as (among) the names of the Mashiach. Amir has got high aspirations for this kid.

I'm debating whether or not to discuss the latest 'reeducation' process that the Left is demanding the Right undergo, after fed-up Beitar Jerusalem fans were forced to hear (after a full 2 weeks of having it shoved down their throats) what they felt was yet another Left-wing political message, when all they wanted to do was to watch a game.

Anyone want me to discuss it?

Trivia: Before Rabin and Peres brought Arafat into Israel, created the PA, and armed and financed them with US and European support, there were less than 15 rifles in the entire Palestinian arsenal.

After continuing debate within the Israeli government whether or not to temporarily shut off electricity to Gaza in response to Hamas Kassam attacks on Jewish settlements towns, Hamas decided to shut down electricity in Israel instead.

In his backpack was a bomb, intended to be used against a Jewish target.

But that is of little concern for MachsomWatch, who harass our brave and heroic soldiers who put their lives on the line everyday to prevent terrorists like this boy from reaching their desired targets.

There is something self-destructive about the Israeli left that they let themselves be openly used as dupes for the enemy.

Every day, members of MachsomWatch stand at roadblocks and prevent IDF soldiers from doing their job of ensuring that Palestinians allowed to pass through aren’t going to abuse this privilege to blow up and murder Jews.

It is truly sick when the concern for the enemy exceeds the concern for your own.

That’s right. The Fatah terrorists trained and armed by the US, who continued to commit acts of terrorism while supposedly being the Palestinian “good guys”, are now using their training and weapons in the service of Al Quaida.

If I was a US congressman or Senator, I’d be very concerned by this turn of events.

As I personally don’t differentiate between the actions of one Arab terrorist group from the other, I have absolutely no problem with whoever is currently footing their bill.

The goals are still the same, at best the tactics are slightly different.

As far as religion is concerned, one is more fundamentalist than the other, but religion is a driving factor for all of them.

But for those in the US that like to play make-believe and ignore Fatah (and therefore Abbas’s) acts of terrorism, they should be thinking twice about who they are funding.

Unfortunately the (wrong) conclusion they will reach is that they should give more money to Fatah to bolster them and prevent the good terrorists from joining the bad terrorists, even though there isn’t a philosophical difference between them, which is why the jump is so smooth.

I previously wrote about Peki'in here. The JP described the town as a model of coexistance.

Since the riots there have been rumors flying around about some of the events that happened there. I decided at the time to not discuss those rumors, as at the time they seemed flimsy and unsubstantiated.

The rumors involve a deliberate pogrom against the Jews, of Druse "nationalists", and more.

One Jewish family had said, that while they knew of Druse "nationalists" in the town they thought they numbered a few dozen, not a few hundred.

But masked Druse youths were caught on film specifically attacking and destroying Jewish homes after the police left. The youths were apparently even aware (and warned) in advance that the police were going to be entering the town. It seems that the cellular antenna was merely an excuse and a front.

Are the events in Peki'in cause for larger scale concern for the State of Israel?

Apparently a post I wrote got picked up by a few big blogs and a ton of people have been visiting today.

So... I'd like to welcome all my new visitors to JoeSettler.

Right now it is important to get the message out that Jerusalem should never be divided again, though there are some creative analysts who say dividing Jerusalem isn't actually Olmert's plan for Annapolis.

Instead, Olmert plans to give something else major away, while telling us how he saved Jerusalem.

The UN, put there to stop(?) the Hizbollah from rearming in Lebanon and to stop(?) Hizbollah from smuggling in weapons into Lebanon is now reporting that Hizbollah is not only up to full strength, but has far surpassed their previous state, and now even has missiles that can reach south of Tel Aviv.

The report also indicates that Hizbollah has tripled their stockpile of Land-to-Sea missiles (like the kind that sunk the Israeli Navy ship that forgot to turn on its defense system). They have also added surface-to-air anti-aircraft missiles.

In short, the UN report implies (but doesn’t state, as they would still disagree) that the UN has completely failed in its mission.

Let that be a lesson to nobody.

Of course, the UN report concludes by criticizing Israel for its flyovers of Lebanon in search of Hizbollah repositioning and stockpiling efforts (apparently we should trust the same UN for that).

Interesting place. Now it is mostly a Druse village, but it used to be a completely Jewish town, and in fact there has been a continuous line of Jews living there for the past few thousand years (such as the Zenati family).

It is said that the Druse and Arabs live there together quite peacefully.

It is also said that Peki'in is the location of the cave where Shimon Bar-Yochai hid from the Romans and wrote the Zohar.

Peki'in has been in the news lately for other reasons. The recent riots and violence.

I have no clue as to what happened in Peki'in other than a few basics that seems to be pretty clear.

Someone had an cellphone antenna installed very close the homes in the town and the residents didn't want it there due to the suspected correlation between antennas and cancer. They were upset. They didn't get reactions or responses from the authorities. They rioted.

The police came in, clearly with their well-known of attitude of busting heads first, and then busting heads again later - not to mention using live fire against citizens of the State of Israel

It's time someone reformed the Israeli police. They cannot keep being allowed to act like a bunch of inexperienced newbies who don't know how to do their job properly.

Charges must be brought against the officers that used live fire. And an investigation must be run to uncover who is the idiot who gave the orders for police to go in without proper and non-lethal riot equipment.

No, I am not ignoring the acusations of alleged use by Peki'in residents of weapons, and that must be investigated too.

But police violence has reached an all-time high. Violent officers aren't punished (unless caught on film). And the police seem completely ignorant of modern methods of crowd control that don't include the excessive use of force.

Have you noticed that when Israeli police begin to direct traffic, the streets suddenly get far more congested?

And whenever police come in to quell angry citizens, the violence escalates far beyond normal levels for any professional (and Western) police force.

I was listening to Radio Kol Chai this afternoon. Radio Kol Chai is a Chareidi station that tend to take a Right of Center position on many issues.

They were interviewing the head of some organization in Sderot concerning the decision to (or not to) shut off electricity to Gaza in retaliation to or as a deterrent to the missile strikes on Sderot.

The Sderot resident was justifiably angry at the voices saying that no action should be taken.

They then called on one of the sicko leaders of Peace Now, who ranted on how no action should be taken against Gaza. Instead a cease-fire must be reached (hmmm, I thought if they didn't start shooting we wouldn't have to react) and the flood-gates opened for trade and free passage! This was his solution!

He said that taking actions against Gaza would have no effect, so it is not a good thing to do it.

Since shutting off the electricity has never even been tried, it is not clear to me how he can be so sure it won't work.

This sicko then unbelievably went on to equate that there are only two groups against the upcoming Annapolis meeting – the Iranians and the Jewish Rightwing - how both share a common goal of "no peace".

I was astounded as his incredibly idiotic comparison and thought process.

I think a more accurate comparison would have been the following.

What do Gaza terrorists and Peace Now have in common?

Neither wants the electricity shut off in Gaza, and apparently neither cares about the lives of the residents of Sderot.

Both groups clearly share the same goals (and I’m not just talking about the electricity) – now that is association that is clearly defensible.

You can obviously draw your own conclusions, but you can’t ignore the correlation.

A study was done on Palestinian Terrorism and Murder and Foreign Aid.

As you can see from the charts, as foreign aid to the Palestinians increases, so do Palestinian acts of murder. When foreign aid to Palestinians decreases, Palestinian acts of murder correspondingly decrease.

In fact, the more money they receive, the more murders the Palestinians commit, the less money they receive, the less murders they commit – it is practically a 100% correlation.

(As an aside, when Palestinians are blocked from killing Jews, they kill each other instead).

But what is most interesting is the time lag between the receipt of the money and the number of murders.

The increase and decrease of the money received precipitates the number of murders that will be committed by one year.

You can practically estimate how many Palestinians acts of murder and terrorism will be committed in any year based on how much money they received the year before.

I don't know if you've been paying attention. Or perhaps you have, but it just isn't considered big news for all the standard reasons. Or perhaps you expect it, so you can't get excited about it anymore.

Of course, it isn't news, just like the previous times, because the farms belong to Jews.

What is different this time, is that 3 of the perpetrators were finally caught in the act of running away. The three, UK citizens and members of the left-wing, anti-Semitic group ISM couldn't run as fast as their fellow wannabe Nazis who left them behind, so they got caught.

It's already been determined that they were also involved in previous attacks on Jewish villages and their farms and property.

Apparently, after the Arabs and leftists kept getting caught on film destroying Arab farms and then blaming the settlers, they decided to graduate to destroying Jewish farms and synogogues.

I think its time for some more Rachel Corrie incidents to thin the pack of these rabid animals that have entered our country.